[Holleyberry]

Hi, obviously new to posting, so please forgive any mistakes. We are thinking of relocating to Hot Springs within the next few months. My DH has a "territory" and will travel for work, so employment is not a problem. We'd like to find a pet friendly rental home, any suggestions? Ideally, I think we need to rent for a year before we buy. Thanks for all the info. on the area - it is really helpful. (In case anyone reading this has a rental home - we'd like something reasonably priced - either on the water or close to it - not a condo - with a fenced in yard. We have 3 toy breed dogs - all completely housebroken.)

[SPE533]

Originally Posted by mcheiss

If your looking for some good lakefront properties, the Hot springs Area is pretty good, and there's Beaver Lake and Bella Vista up here in Northwest Arkansas.

Beaver lake is to nice to be telling outsiders about

No, but really.. bella vista/beaver...anywhere in the NW AR region is very quickly growing. Hot springs has a couple nice lakes, horse racing, many bars, alot of golf courses, and a lot of artsy/cultural types of things to do. Im not sure where ravens from and my not being an outsider probably leaves me to not understand her misfortune with us "locals" but its a nice place to be from, without all the hustle and bustle.. while they are no urban-Moderator cut: BLEEP! sometimes traffic in central arkansas and NWA is menicing. Of course you are going to, most likely, take a pay cut here in Arkansas, but that flows with the cost of living. You out of towners arent that much better at your jobs, it just cost more to live in ur urban areas

[Stormcrow73]

Originally Posted by SPE533

Of course you are going to, most likely, take a pay cut here in Arkansas, but that flows with the cost of living.

What I've recently found from moving back to AR from one of those urban areas is that while I took a big pay cut to come home, my take home is almost the same!!! Death by taxes.

[w.w.dove68]

Hello, My husband has been offered a job, in Danville, for 22.00 an hour, would this be considered a good living wage, in AR. We are currently from the south suburbs of Chicago, [about 40 min] , My husband is a Tool & Die maker in the cold heading and fastner business, we have a 23, year old daughter , and her 2 year old son, and a 14,1/2 year old, son,We have lived in this area practly all of our lives, although our families originaly hale, from the south , so we have mostly southern up bringings, I for one am scared to death about this move, especially since i have read some of the things,on this site, We are not very religious, but do have a strong belief in god, and christianity, not real big on church, we have tattoos , like southern rock and rock n roll, and I am worried about being outsiders, we don't do drugs and were not big drinkers, mostly stay to ourselves, But I am very worried about my kids, especialy my son not fitting in ,in High School, this is his first year, and the move will be hard enough, without being ostrasized, for being a yankee, he's a big kid 5"10 , athletic baseball and track good student, good kid, any advice, we will be renting a house at least at first, how are rental prices there? someone please put my mind at rest, any info would be a beautiful thing, were looking at Russelville, Dardenelle, N Littlerock, we are in our very early 40's and looking for a better life, better area for our family. Thanks, homesick already.

[Sam I Am]

Originally Posted by w.w.dove68

Hello, My husband has been offered a job, in Danville, for 22.00 an hour, would this be considered a good living wage, in AR. We are currently from the south suburbs of Chicago, [about 40 min] , My husband is a Tool & Die maker in the cold heading and fastner business, we have a 23, year old daughter , and her 2 year old son, and a 14,1/2 year old, son,We have lived in this area practly all of our lives, although our families originaly hale, from the south , so we have mostly southern up bringings, I for one am scared to death about this move, especially since i have read some of the things,on this site, We are not very religious, but do have a strong belief in god, and christianity, not real big on church, we have tattoos , like southern rock and rock n roll, and I am worried about being outsiders, we don't do drugs and were not big drinkers, mostly stay to ourselves, But I am very worried about my kids, especialy my son not fitting in ,in High School, this is his first year, and the move will be hard enough, without being ostrasized, for being a yankee, he's a big kid 5"10 , athletic baseball and track good student, good kid, any advice, we will be renting a house at least at first, how are rental prices there? someone please put my mind at rest, any info would be a beautiful thing, were looking at Russelville, Dardenelle, N Littlerock, we are in our very early 40's and looking for a better life, better area for our family. Thanks, homesick already.

This is going to sound like I'm giving you three sets of directions - sorry, just trying to point out the pros and cons for you and your entire family!

If you have been offered a job in Danville, you're best living near Danville. It's kind of a trek from Dardanelle or Russellville. It's probably only 20 miles or so, but it will take you a good half hour from Dardanelle, and it won't happen if the weather is bad. All that being said, if you love rural living you will love Danville. I would be there in a minute! North Little Rock is really out of the question, you'd be driving 1 1/2 hours each way...honestly.

There is a large Hispanic population in Danville. There's absolutely nothing to do in Danville...for your child's sake I think I would consider living at Chickalah, which is about halfway between Dardanelle and Danville, or your husband may have to bite the bullet on commuting. Dardanelle has a good high school...It's not a really wealthy area and a lot of kids never find their way out, but Arkansas Tech is across the river in Pope County on the north side of Russellville and is a more than adequate college. Russellville, I would assume, would maybe be more accepting of a transplant since it's a little larger town, and I think the baseball team is pretty good - but I could be thinking of the Tech team. People in Dardanelle seem to have been there for ages - I think Russellville has a goodly bit of new blood coming in with recent growth. I will tell you that some people say they have found the area to be a "closed community" but I have never thought so at all. Be aware there are not the city amenities here, and there surely aren't in Danville and few in Dardanelle.

$22/hr. is very good pay for Pope/Yell counties. Rent is from $600 up or thereabouts for a 3BR , with a very nice place being around $700. Maybe a little more, depending on how much you need. You can get absolutely wonderful places if you go up from $700.

I wouldn't worry about the religion thing, I just wouldn't. I don't and it hasn't made any difference at all. People seem to be as concerned as you keeping your property nice. They may not rush out the door to meet you, but once you speak to the first neighbor you will find yourself a niche.

We love the River Valley, but we didn't have kids here so I'll let someone else pick up the thread here.

Also, please look at this list of Russellville websites posted by arkansasguy06 in another thread...maybe they will make you a little more comfortable.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/arkan...who-wants.html

[w.w.dove68]

Originally Posted by Sam I Am

This is going to sound like I'm giving you three sets of directions - sorry, just trying to point out the pros and cons for you and your entire family!

If you have been offered a job in Danville, you're best living near Danville. It's kind of a trek from Dardanelle or Russellville. It's probably only 20 miles or so, but it will take you a good half hour from Dardanelle, and it won't happen if the weather is bad. All that being said, if you love rural living you will love Danville. I would be there in a minute! North Little Rock is really out of the question, you'd be driving 1 1/2 hours each way...honestly.

There is a large Hispanic population in Danville. There's absolutely nothing to do in Danville...for your child's sake I think I would consider living at Chickalah, which is about halfway between Dardanelle and Danville, or your husband may have to bite the bullet on commuting. Dardanelle has a good high school...It's not a really wealthy area and a lot of kids never find their way out, but Arkansas Tech is across the river in Pope County on the north side of Russellville and is a more than adequate college. Russellville, I would assume, would maybe be more accepting of a transplant since it's a little larger town, and I think the baseball team is pretty good - but I could be thinking of the Tech team. People in Dardanelle seem to have been there for ages - I think Russellville has a goodly bit of new blood coming in with recent growth. I will tell you that some people say they have found the area to be a "closed community" but I have never thought so at all. Be aware there are not the city amenities here, and there surely aren't in Danville and few in Dardanelle.

$22/hr. is very good pay for Pope/Yell counties. Rent is from $600 up or thereabouts for a 3BR , with a very nice place being around $700. Maybe a little more, depending on how much you need. You can get absolutely wonderful places if you go up from $700.

I wouldn't worry about the religion thing, I just wouldn't. I don't and it hasn't made any difference at all. People seem to be as concerned as you keeping your property nice. They may not rush out the door to meet you, but once you speak to the first neighbor you will find yourself a niche.

We love the River Valley, but we didn't have kids here so I'll let someone else pick up the thread here.

Also, please look at this list of Russellville websites posted by arkansasguy06 in another thread...maybe they will make you a little more comfortable.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/arkan...who-wants.html

Dear, Sam I Am.
I just wanted to say thankyou for your reply, and advice, you were the only one who replied, If we end up in Ar, I'll let you know how things turned out for us. P.S. Do you have alot of Snakes there[ poisonus ones] [lol] I'm a big chicken when it comes to snakes. Have a Great Day.

[Sam I Am]

Originally Posted by w.w.dove68

Dear, Sam I Am.
I just wanted to say thankyou for your reply, and advice, you were the only one who replied, If we end up in Ar, I'll let you know how things turned out for us. P.S. Do you have alot of Snakes there[ poisonus ones] [lol] I'm a big chicken when it comes to snakes. Have a Great Day.

We do have copperheads and cottonmouths - the cottonmouths will be found near bodies of water. Copperheads will live pretty much anywhere but are relatively slow and dumb. I watch for them, but it surely doesn't rule my life. I suppose if I believed in camping or hiking I might be more cautious. CAMP is a four letter word in my book.

Yet another thing I don't think about - snakes - although I'm horribly afraid of them. You will see lots of black runners even in town, but I don't know that I've ever seen anything else (one of those king snake things is enough to throw me over the edge...just deathly afraid!). Obviously, the more rural you are, the more there are. Wear boots, stomp around, be careful, but don't let it rock your world!

[naturelover55]

I am also a California transplant; San Diego. I've been here 11 years. I love Fayetteville. Usually, sometime in January, I begin to miss California Winters. But then spring is just around the corner and I love Springtime in the Ozarks. All has been good for us here. We miss the ocean, good mexican food, family and old friends, but little else! We love the green of spring and the changing of colors in the fall. There are so many fun things to do in summer, mainly because there is so much water, rivers and lakes. Everyplace has pluses and minuses, all in all Fayetteville, has been a good move for us.

[Capt. Dan]

SamIAm
There are snakes in Arkansas just for people like you---chicken snakes!
Actually, farmers like having chicken snakes around the silos. They eat the mice that would otherwise get into the grain. I just thought the CHICKEN part was funny after reading your last post.

[Sam I Am]

I willingly admit to being a 'fraidy cat of anything that slithers on its belly. I know in my sane, reasonable mind that chicken snakes are good...raised on a farm...but my screaming, stomping, shaking, quaking, and melting down like the bad witch comes out when I see one. I give them their space, they give me mine...it works well for all of us two-legged and no-legged types~!